Week 3 Results

I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas! I know it's tricky to be good this time of year, and all things considered, we're doing pretty awesome!

An additional Free Meal was requested, and I'm in a very obliging mood. Request granted.

Just to clarify: the option to trade in one free day for three free meals will be a permanent change. You can utilize this at any time, during any round.

Denise - 555
Erin - 555
Kelsie - 555
Erica - 551
Karin - 551

Last week! Stay strong and step away from those -2 point treats. Bwahahaha.

Week 2 Results

Congrats to everyone on another awesome week! Whether or not you got a perfect score, I think we're all doing pretty awesome for this time of year. Stay strong this week, but enjoy your Christmas festivities.

Kelsie - 555

Erica - 555

Karin - 551

Erin - 550

Denise - 545 

Also, I'm going to throw out an option here. During the last round, I was really wishing I could cash in one free day for 3 free meals. You know when you've got a dinner party one night and a lunch date the next? Not close enough to use a FREE day, but so close it's kinda annoying? Sometimes a whole free day is Fantastic! Christmas Day, for example. But do I really need to spend all of Christmas Eve day eating like crazy, just cause it's a free day? Umm… no. I'm assuming that you gals are also rationing your FREE's, much like me (I confess to being a total hoarder/planner here. I've allotted 1 of each "free" per week, and haven't used up all my rations yet, and thus still have options here).  

Here's the option: You can cash in a Free day for 3 free meals. Use this if it's a good fit, especially if this helps you, and by 'you' I mean me, to make better food choices. If the traditional FREE Day is a better fit, use that. It's your call. I try not to make big changes mid-round, but I'm hoping this will facilitate moderation instead of binging. Which I'm sure nobody has a problem with but me, but since I am in charge…. haha!

Let me know if you've got any questions about this. 

Have a very Merry Christmas!

4 Tips to Prevent Weight Gain this Holiday Season

Denise sent this to me 9 days ago. Sorry for the delay, but here are a few tips that could be helpful this Holiday Season. And afterwards.

I’ll be honest, even though it’s my job to stay fit all year around, I’m not a fan of depriving yourself during the holidays…at least not completely.  And if you’re meeting up with family and friends, you really don’t want to be that one person who turns down your mom’s (or worse yet, your mom-in-law’s) pecan pie she slaved over the hot oven…just for you.

That being said, you don’t want to over do it either.  One slice of pecan pie will suffice.  A little discipline goes a long way.  Just keep in mind that the more you let yourself go during the holidays, the more difficult it’ll be to get back in shape.  You really don’t want to set yourself up for failure during the holidays. 

So today I have 4 easy and effective tips you can implement during this holiday season, so you can still have fun and indulge (in moderation) without feeling guilty.  And more importantly, by applying these simple tips, it’ll set you up to be in good position to easily get back in shape come this new year. 

Here are the 4 tips:

Tip #1:  This may sound a little off-the-wall, but doing a short 5 minute workout right before you sit down to eat actually helps prevent fat gain.  Even though the workout is super short, it helps deplete some of the glycogen storage in your muscles.  This way when you eat, it actually helps restore glycogen in your muscles first, which helps alleviate some calories from being stored as fat.

If and when you do this, you want to choose an exercise that works as many muscles at once, like Burpees.  But if that’s too strenuous, you can do a combination of Push Ups and Squats.

Here’s a sample 5 minute workout: 

Burpees - As many Burpees as possible in 5 minutes.

Push Up and Squat combo - Just modify this workout so you can do as much as possible in 5 minutes.

Keep in mind that the idea of the workout is to do as many reps as possible in 5 minutes, so speed counts and no resting!

Tip 2: Drink a glass of water before you eat.  This is one of the most simple yet effective tip you can implement, that helps prevent you from overeating.  The key here is to drink water, and not some flavored drink…even if it has zero calories.  Drink 8 - 12 oz of cold water 10 - 15 minutes before you eat and you’ll be amazed at how it curbs your hunger.

Tips 3: If it’s green…eat it.  Unless it’s green frosting.  Most vegetables are high in nutrients and fiber but low in calories, so it’ll fill you up without having to worry about going over your daily calories.  Try and stick to fresh or steamed vegetables and stay clear of vegetables doused in sauce.  If you’re really hungry, fill up on salad first, so you won’t be tempted to eat the bad stuff later on.

Tip 4: This one can be a little tricky, especially during winter, but it’s also one of the most helpful.  Try and go for a walk after a big meal…especially after dinner.  Walking after a meal helps with digestion and it also helps lower your blood sugar level to prevent calories from being stored as fat.  If it’s too cold to go outside or it’s not safe, you can get the same benefits by keeping yourself busy after dinner, like doing the dishes or cleaning up.  The longer you can stay moving the better.

So there you have it.  Some of these tips may seem a little unconventional, but if you’ve had a difficult time keeping your weight off during the holidays, it’s definitely worth a try.

Stay Lean,

-Shin

Information provided by Shin Ohtake of MAX Workouts - maxworkouts.com

Simply Stunning in Six R4 Calendar Tasks

Pick all Five of your tasks each week from this list:

* Get your $25 to Erica before Thursday * Go for a walk in the snow * Leave a treat or a gift on some deserving family's doorstep: then run! * Read the story of the Savior's birth out loud from the scriptures with your family * Read a book that has to do with Christmas (ex. a Christmas Carol by Dickens) * Go caroling * Read the nativity account in the Bible with family * Watch mormonchannel.org clips about Christ * Enjoy a peppermint foot soak * Do something nice for your hair * Give the gift of time to someone * Make & deliver a handmade gift or homemade treat to someone * Have a game night {board/dice/card, etc.} with a family member, or a friend * Do a Christmas craft with kids * Give a Christmas treat to a neighbor I don't know very well * Go see Christmas lights; at Temple Square, City Park, Neighborhood, etc. * Go on a date-night with hubby * Go to church at least once this month * Enjoy a Neighbor treat for FREE (don’t have to use one of your free items) * Finish a project I've been putting off * Get to Church at least 5-10 minutes early *  Do a fun and new activity with my family * Get up 15 minutes before my kids at least 4 days of the week * Send out Christmas cards by 12/15 * Work out with your kiddos (at least 1 of them) or spouse * Write in your journal * Write in your kids babybooks / journal {If you do this for multiple kids, you can count it as a separate task each time} * Be to church 15 minutes early * Go to the Temple – look at the lights, do Temple work, etc. * Plan a FHE about the real meaning of Christmas * Watch the First Presidency Devotional (live or online) * Drink half your weight (in ounces) of water before 7 pm * Shovel snow *  Play in the snow with your kids; build a snowman, make snow angels, have a snowball fight * Organize a closet, drawer or cupboard * Give each member of your family a sincere compliment * Send a hand written card to a long distance friend or family member * Send a Christmas package to a missionary or member of the military * Put up Christmas decorations * Go to a Christmas Party * Watch a holiday movie with your kids/spouse * Establish an evening or morning routine – or both! * Wrap 10 Christmas Gifts before December 20th * Mop the floor by hand * Paint your toenails or get a pedicure * Host or organize a Christmas party – for your family, friends, neighbors, kids class, etc. * Share your testimony of Christ *

Week 1 Results

Ladies,

Well, that's one week down and just 3 more to go. Like I was telling Karin; half of me is so glad I'm doing this and the other half thinks I'm crazy. Ha ha. Each day I'm tempted to throw out more freebies, but I'm trying to be moderate here. If there's requests tho, I'm likely to cave… ;)

Majority ruled with individuals instead of teams. I held off on telling you so that nobody would slack off. The accountability factor of teams is really motivating, so if I see scores start to slide, teams may be reintroduced at a moment's notice. Hopefully that keeps us all on our toes.

Denise - 555
Erin - 555
Erica - 555
Kelsie - 555
Karin - 553



I did make a few minor adjustments to the food lists, including the addition of Joe-Joe's to the neutral list. Peruse that list when you need a sugar fix.

Simply Stunning in Six Round 4 - Info & Rules

Simply Stunning in Six!

A simple plan to balance physical, emotional and spiritual health.

Info, Intro & Rules

Ready to make a change, be it physically or spiritually? Tired of the backslide when you aren’t challenging yourself and the accountability diminishes? Welcome to Simply Stunning in Six! We are going to dedicate the next 6 months to taking better care of us! One month at a time. We’ll run for 4 weeks at a time.

Participation Fee is $25 per round {$5 goes toward my operating costs}. If you participate in all six rounds, I’ll wave the $5 on the last round. Please have your money to me before the end of week one.

R1 – September 8^th – September 30^th

R2 – October 6^th – November 2^nd

R3 – November 6^th – December 3^rd

R4 – December 8^th – January 4^th

R5 – January 8^th – February 4^th

R6 – February 9^th – March 8^th

µ S3 {cubed} R4 begins on the 8^th of December. Once you’ve committed to joining, email or text me your 5 calendar tasks and your Spiritual & Fitness goals.

I’d still recommend weighing in, though there aren’t weight loss points this round.  Weeks will run from Sunday mornings to Saturday nights. Be sure to text or email me your points every Sunday by 2 p.m. Total points need to be emailed or texted to Erica by Monday January 5^th. Weekly results will be posted at funandfitinfive.blogspot.com by Sunday evening.

µ We’ll stick with teams of two, with each team selecting a team name. You’re welcome to bring your own teammate or have one assigned to you. Each participant will be provided tracking sheets to record good food points, bad food minus points, exercise points, daily calendar challenge points, after 10 P.M. points, water points, 5+ fruit & veggie points, Joy list, personal prayer points and personal scripture study points.

µ Personal Goals: This round there will be no weight loss points. Each participant needs to pick one physical goal and one spiritual goal, then email them to me {and your teammate} by December 10th. Your goal must be measurable! Pounds lost, % body fat reduction, drinking xx ounces of water by noon, exercising 5 days a week, reading scriptures for 10 minutes/day, saying morning prayers before 9 a.m., being in bed by 10:30, etc. It must also be a stretch from your current capacity. Please ask me if you have any ?'s about this.

µ FASTING ALLOWANCE:  On Days you fast, you’re welcome to make adjustments as necessary. It can be hard to eat and drink that much in 1/3 of the time! If you don’t consume any negative foods or eat after 9 and you’ve done your best to get all your healthy foods & fruits and veggies in, give yourself full food points for the day.   

µ Exercise Points:  This program is constantly being refined and adjusted in order to provide the optimum results. For each minute you exercise, you’ll get one point. The maximum amount of points possible is 100. You must exercise at least 3 times each week!  I realize that to lose weight, each of our bodies works differently. Figure out what works best for you & do that! I’m removing the time restriction, since I still think some movement is better than nothing; so if you’ve only got 5 – 10 minutes, use it!

µ FREE DAYS, MEALS, FOODS & TASTES: There are 4 free days, 4 free meals, 4 free foods and 8 free tastes this round. Use them whenever you’d like! I don’t care when, or if, you use them.  This does include Christmas Day and New Years, so be sure to plan out your “FREES” accordingly.  

FREE Days, Meals, Foods & Tastes can be consumed after 10 without a point loss. To clarify, a free day exempts you from negative food points. You must still earn your good food points, F&V, water, exercise, scripture points, etc. But you can eat after 10 on a free day & still get your “after 10 points.”

✪ Winnings:            1^st place – 65%                     2^nd place – 35%

If your total score, before the bonus points for Physical & Spiritual Goals are given, is within 10 points of the total amount possible, you will get your $20 participation money returned to you!

✪ Track points daily on point tracking sheets. I'll email the tracking sheets to all the participants. We will go from Wednesday morning to Tuesday evening each week.  Total your points and email or text them to me. I’ll post the point totals for the teams on the blog, so everyone can see how we’re all doing.

✪ Good Food Points – See Food List post on the blog.  Add one point for each good food eaten, up to 10 points a day. Limit of 3 good food points for whole wheat food items per day.

✪ Bad Food Points – See  Food List post. Subtract 2 points for every bad food eaten.  NO MAX!

✪ Exercise Points – One point per minute, up to 100 points per week. Must exercise at least 3 times a week! But break it down however it works best for you.  

✪ Daily Calendar – Earn 5 points by following the daily calendar; these can be done at any point during the week. You can do all of them in one day, one a day or any combo you can think of.  These will all be listed of on the blog, so check there. Pick all 5 tasks from the blog for each week.

✪ After 10 PM Points – Earn 5 points if you eat NOTHING after 10 p.m. You can still drink water after 10 without any point loss.

✪ Water Points – Earn 10 points for drinking a minimum of 35 ounces of water every day. Your goal should be to drink ½ you weight in ounces. Example: if you weigh 120 lbs, your goal will be 60 oz of fluid. 150 lbs = 75 oz.  180 = 90 oz. and so on.

✪ 5+ Fruits & Vegetables – Earn 10 points if you eat a combined total of 5 fruits and vegetables – count the V’s and F’s from the good food box. These count for both good foods and fruits and veggies – double bonus. Yay! You get 2 points per fruit or veggie, and you don’t have to eat all 5 to get your points. {You’ll lose more weight if one is an apple, regardless of size. But just one.}

✪ Joy List - Create a list of at least 5 things that bring you JOY! I think it’s important that we purposely do something kind for ourselves regularly {ideas are: Reading, taking a bath, going out w/girlfriends, snuggling w/kiddos, going on a date with hubby, going to the Symphony, getting a pedicure, fresh cut flowers, taking a nap, etc.}  If your Joy List involves a food item, you’re welcome to use a Free food/taste, but it’s not a Freebie, just cause it’s on your list. ;)  This list can be added to at any time, but needs to be started by Thursday. 10 points per week for accomplishing one item from this list. 

 ✪ Personal Prayer Points – There is a special relationship between your body and your spirit.  Strengthen your spirit as you strengthen your body. I'm assuming Heavenly Father likes to hear from us anytime. Pray twice a day. If that's morning/evening, afternoon/evening, morning/afternoon - that's fine. I think the Lord would rather hear from us several times during the day, regardless of the time. Also, aim for Personal Prayers, but if you need to count a family prayer you gave or your prayers with your spouse, I'm chill with that. 5 points per prayer, 2 prayers per day, totaling 10 points per day.

✪ Daily Scripture Study Points – All or none. If you read, you get your points. If you miss, you don’t. Easy Peasy. Duration, intensity and absorption are between you and the Lord. Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants, Sunday School and Relief Society lessons, Sharing Time & Primary lessons, Ensign, Conference Talks, etc. all count.

✪ Illness Allowance – If you catch a stomach flu or seriously nasty head cold, let me know. If you’ve tried your best to get all your food and water points, without consuming any negative foods, we’ll work out an illness allowance.

Please let me know if you have ANY questions.

GOOD LUCK!!!

Good Food List

µ

Try to choose the majority of your foods from this list.  You get one point for every

good food choice you eat each day – up to 10 points per day.

It’s my personal opionion that it’s healthier to eat natural, un-processed foods & foods without chemicals versus low-fat/sugar/etc. foods that have artificial ingredients & chemicals in them. Since I’m in charge {heehe}, I’m adjusting the food list to coincide with my belief. So if you’re inclined to have mayo or sour cream, go for it. Just use a smaller portion instead of going crazy. If you can find a lighter, healthier version, by all means, use that. But I say; avoid artificial ingredients, chemicals & items whose names you can’t pronounce in favor of the ingredients your body knows how to process. Also, most food items have a healthier alternative, so get creative in your cooking; i.e. grill your shrimp with some spices as opposed to frying it in butter. It’s still delicious and waaaay more healthy. And that’s what I have to say about that! J

Legumes – black-eyed peas, lentils, marrowfat peas, chickpeas, etc.

Beans -Black, Pinto, Navy, White, Lima, etc.

Oatmeal, Cream of Wheat, Cracked Wheat, Bruce’s Cereal, etc.

Nuts; Almonds, Cashews, Pistachios, Walnuts, Pecans, Peanuts, Filberts, etc.   Raw nuts are healthiest, be sure to check ingredients on any "roasted" or "dry roasted" types.  

Flax Seed

Eggs, egg whites, or eggbeaters

100% whole grain breads: 100% Whole Wheat, Multigrain, Pumpernickel, Rye, Oat Bran, Buckwheat, Spelt, Sprouted grains, etc.

Brown Rice, Wild Rice

Whole Wheat Pasta

Quinoa/Buckwheat/Amaranth/Spelt/Millet/Couscous, etc.

Multi-grain crackers that are high in fiber &/or protein {i. e. - Food Should Taste Good Multigrain Tortilla Chips, Etc.}

Low sugar, high fiber cereal {Go Lean Kashi, All-Bran, Special K, Cheerios, Fiber One, Bran Chex, Bran Flakes}

Skim or 1% milk , Rice Milk, Almond Milk or Soy Milk

All fruits

All vegetables  

Natural Salsa

Baked potato, red potatoes, yam or sweet potato

Hummus

Tuna (packed in water)

Chicken

Fish/Shrimp/Lobster

Lean Pork

Turkey/Turkey Bacon

Canadian Bacon

Lean Beef

Lean Ham

Lunch meat considered low in fat

Cottage cheese

Protien Powder (be sure to check ingredients)

Greek Yogurt & All Natural Yogurt

Olive oil

Coconut oil

Air popped popcorn

Protein bars, Lara bars, Trio bars, etc. {low sugar, high protein, high fiber}

Peanut Butter – all-natural, no hydrogenated oil

Home-made baked goods made with whole wheat {or brown rice, quinoa, millet, buckwheat, etc.} flours & approved sweeteners. i.e. zucchini muffins, bran muffins, etc.

Daily Vitamin, RDA calcium supplement (From ages 9 through 18 years, the RDA for calcium is 1300 mg. because this period of growth is a critical time to build a greater bone mass that can help prevent osteoporosis. For adults aged 19 - 50, the RDA is 1000 mg. a day. After age 50, the RDA is 1200 mg)

{A note for our Gluten-intolerant friends – feel free to substitute Rice, Corn or other wheat-free products as necessary. Just remember that they need to follow the same rules as other foods – no MSG, hydrogenated oils, artficial sweeteners, etc.}

Bad Food List

µ

Subtract 2 points for EACH food you eat a day on this list. No Max.

Artificial sweeteners {splenda, sweet ‘n low, aspartame, etc.}

Refined White Sugar

High-fructose Corn Syrup, corn syrup & other similar sweeteners

Sugar cereal or low fiber cereal

White bread

White pasta

Fried foods

Bakery items, such as muffins, cake, or pie

Soda or other drinks with sugar

Ice Cream

Potato chips, Cheetos, Fritos, Doritos, Cheezits, crackers, ETC. 

Any cookie with white sugar

Candy with unapproved items

Bagels or donuts

High sugar or high carb bars such as granola bars, Cliff bars, Pop Tarts

Hot dogs

Hydrogenated oils of ANY kind

You know your body … put anything else on this list that isn’t good for you!

Neutral Food List

µ

These foods won’t give or take points away. Be wise about the amounts, but it’s still up to you.

Stevia, Agave, Brown Rice Syrup, Evaporated Cane Juice, Brown Sugar & Honey

Corn and Corn products

Natural tortilla chips/other natural corn products

Ak-Mak crackers or Nut-thins {check the labels still}

Cheese; Parmesan, Cheddar, Colby Jack, etc.

Natural dark chocolate {look for a minimum of 60% cacao}

Natural Mayo, Sour Cream, Salad Dressings, etc.

Wheat bread (that isn’t 100% whole wheat, but still healthy)

Sugar free gum

White Rice – used occasionally in smaller amounts {Brown Rice still has more fiber and nutrients, so try to use that 8 out of 10 times}.

Natural, No sugar added Frozen Yogurt (not sugar-free, as in sweetened with fake, chemical sugar)

94% fat free microwave popcorn
Joe-Joe's - all flavors {there are several treats at Trader Joe's that use approves sweeteners. check them out, or other health food stores if you're in need of a little something sweet}

Simply Stunning in Six R3 Final Results

Ladies,

Props to all of you on an awesome round! Tis a tricky time of year to pass on treats and focus on healthy habits; scriptures, prayers, eating and exercise. Way to Go!!

Here are the final results:
Gratitude Gals - 4639
Bobsy Twins - 4639
Brunette Bookworms - 4638
Flying Solo - 4636
Born 2B Bad - 4622
Slim Sisters - 4612

The following gals earned their $20 back: Denise, Erin, Karin, Erica, Krista, Cassie, Jen, Amy & Mindy. That leaves $40 in the kitty, to be divided equally among the 2 first place teams.
$10 each to Denise, Erin, Krista & Cassie.

Let me know if you want me to hold onto $ for the next round or mail you your winnings. If you'd like it mailed, please text or email me your address.

Congrats to everyone on a fantastic round! Round 4 starts tomorrow, so let me know ASAP if you're up for the Christmas challenge.